ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Nicklas Backstrom always wondered what it would take to win it all.

When he stood outside the Washington Capitals' locker room following first- or second-round playoff losses in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, he lamented each missed opportunity but could never definitively say what it would take to get over the hump. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2018 and going out in the first round this year, Backstrom has a bit of a better clue for the future.

"It's kind of like, `What do you need?' You don't know the answer to that," Backstrom said Friday as players cleared out their lockers. "You're just guessing and going on your instinct. But now I feel like we've been through it and it is possible, especially when you don't expect the team to do it."